Japan’s sacred sumo ring is off limits to women, even its new prime minister

Sanae Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister. But women aren’t permitted to enter the sumo ring, and she may skip ...

Japan’s first female leader faces a taboo over entering the male-only sumo ring

TOKYO (AP) — Sanae Takaichi made history by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister in October. She must now decide ...

5 things to know about Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister

Japan ranks low in gender equality among developed nations. The first woman to lead the country is an ultraconservative who ...

Key changes that ushered in the golden era of Japanese women's golf

Hisako “Chako” Higuchi won the 1977 LPGA Championship (now KPMG Women’s PGA) to become the first Japanese player to win an LPGA major. There wasn’t another until Hinako Shibuno stunned the world by ...

Japanese 'muscle girls' challenge conventional beauty standards

With its challenge to Japan’s conventional ideals of feminine beauty, the bar, which opened in mid-2020, draws about 100 customers on average each day, the majority of them foreign tourists, and has ...

Sakamoto dominates short program at her last NHK Trophy

Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto has dominated the short program to put herself in prime position to defend her title at what she says will be her final NHK Trophy.